


Author Bias

by chibistarlyte



Series: Tumblr Ask Box Shit [8]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ficlet, M/M, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 20:12:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8223416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibistarlyte/pseuds/chibistarlyte
Summary: Bilbo takes a look at Thorin's manuscript.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick little askbox fic with the prompt "author/editor au" prompted by ladyoakenshields! <3  
> Enjoy!

Bilbo was one of those old-fashioned editors who preferred to have a hard copy in front of him rather than pixels on the screen. Helped him spot errors easier, or so he said. Thorin swore it made him look all the more intimidating--gaze narrowed and focused through the lenses of his reading glasses, red pen tapping on the stack of paper at the ready to draw blood from its fibers. And while Bilbo was usually an open book when it came to his emotions, his face remained stony and unreadable when he was in editing mode.

Thorin loved him, but he was also scared shitless of him in times like these. Especially when he couldn’t tell if Bilbo was pleased with his writings, or if he wanted to rip the manuscript to shreds.

“I can’t work with you staring at me like that,” Bilbo said as he circled something with his pen, his eyes never leaving the page.

Thorin blinked, flushing, and tore his gaze away. “Sorry,” he said gruffly before escaping to the kitchen to make himself some tea.

He was just putting the loose leaves into the strainer to steep when Bilbo called from the living room, “I’m sensing a lot of author bias right here.”

“Where? “ Thorin called back, willing his tea to steep faster by glaring at it.

“This line where it says, ‘prancing around with his head held so high, one could see up his perfect hairy nostrils’” Bilbo let out a chuckle. “Great imagery, that.”

Thorin stirred honey into his tea. “And how is that showing author bias?” When he returned to the living room, Bilbo was flipping through the manuscript.

“Well, I’ve marked similar passages throughout…” 

Thorin took a seat in his armchair adjacent from Bilbo’s.

“...but if you’re trying to write from a third person omniscient point of view, you shouldn’t be writing judgmental or opinionated-sounding things like that. Your voice should remain neutral.” Bilbo sat the manuscript on the end table between them, placing his glasses on top and rubbing his eyes. “And it’s always in passages about elves. What do you have against elves?”

At this moment, Thorin took a generous gulp of his tea. He immediately regretted that decision, wincing as the hot liquid burned his throat on the way down. “I don’t have anything against them,” he insisted.

“Do you think maybe you should write from a different perspective? Say, your dwarf protagonist?” Bilbo suggested. “At least then, the continuous elf commentary would be warranted.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Thorin didn’t like the idea a hundred percent, mostly because it would take a lot of scrapping and rewriting to make that kind of drastic change to the story. Still, he valued Bilbo’s opinion and appreciated his honesty. “I guess it’s back to the word doc, then.”

Bilbo smiled and rose from his chair, crossing the few paces between them. “I really like your story, though,” he admitted. He cupped Thorin’s face and nuzzled their noses together. “One of your best so far.”

“You think so?” Thorin asked. Successful novelist or no, he still felt self-conscious about his writing from time to time.

“Definitely.” Bilbo then kissed him as if to prove a point. “Now get to work, slacker.” 


End file.
